The World Bank has received a grant of US$1.5 million for the execution of measures aimed at combating marine and plastic pollution in Ghana.

A multi-donor trust fund partnership known as PROBLUE, which promotes integrated and sustainable economic growth in ocean health, provided the funding for the project.

On Friday, December 16, the acting Country Manager of the World Bank, Mr Dhruval Sahai, made this known at a one-day workshop aimed at enhancing the regulatory framework for minimizing marine litter and pollution in the Greater Accra Region.

According to Mr. Sahai, a World Bank team has been in Ghana for the past weeks to enhance PROBLUE efforts and take an inventory of the country's current landscape in preparation for the program's successful implementation.

He added that Ghana has achieved significant improvements in its collection and treatment of plastic trash and is now serving as a role model to other countries in terms of the recycling and reuse of waste.

“The reason behind this implementation is to eliminate extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity equitably and sustainably, thereby, reduce the negative effects of plastic pollution on livelihoods, the fisheries and tourism sectors,” he stated.

The World Bank's two main objectives, he said, are eradicating extreme poverty and fostering shared prosperity in an equitable and sustainable manner.

The acting Country Manager of the World Bank emphasized that these goals were in conflict with the project due to plastic pollution, hence threatening public health by increasing flooding risks.

The COVID-19 pandemic, according to him, has had a significant toll on waste management efforts.

The operations of PROBLUE, as per Special Advisor to the Minister of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Mr. Oliver Boachi, will provide Ghana's efforts to minimize marine pollution and protect the environment an additional boost.

He pointed out that Ghana's selection to lead the African Group of Negotiators under the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee provided it a unique opportunity to lead the fight against the dire threat of plastic pollution.

“The PROBLUE support programme that the World Bank Group is providing to the Ministry of Environment, Science, Technology, and Innovation (MESTI), would effectively address the menace of plastic pollution in Ghana.

“This is perhaps the most significant and most ambitious attempt that the world is making to combat the devastating menace of plastic pollution,” he said.

The World Bank's Lead Economist, Mr. Grzegorz Peszko, called for collaborations along the plastic value chain to ensure an integrated strategy for tackling the issue and to promote growth in the areas of the environment, human health, and the economy.

Additionally, he asked the government to increase public funding and create an environment that is supportive of measures to reduce the threat posed by plastic trash, especially by offering incentives for private sector investment.

Mr. Peszko emphasized the necessity of putting deliberate procedures in place to bring about a behavioral change so that Ghanaians regard plastics as investment materials rather than waste.

He concluded that this would decrease the open dumping of polyethylene, thus having a negative impact on the environment, human health, and the economy in the long run.

The World Bank is a global financial organization that offers grants and loans to governments in low- and middle-income nations so they can carry out major projects.

Source: The Independent Ghana